DENVER – The Western Athletic Conference men’s basketball postseason award winners as selected by the league’s nine head coaches were announced today.

The first team is led by UtahState senior forward Gary Wilkinson who was also voted the WAC’s Player of the Year. Wilkinson is the second-straight Aggie to earn Player of the Year honors as USU’s Jaycee Carroll earned the award last season. Wilkinson led UtahState in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 17.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game in WAC play. The senior led USU to its second-straight WAC regular season crown. Nevada’s Luke Babbitt and Armon Johnson, Idaho’s Mac Hopson and New Mexico State’s Jahmar Young were also first team selections.

Wilkinson was the only repeat all-WAC honoree from last season. Wilkinson earned second team all-WAC honors last year.

The all-WAC second-teamers this year were Boise State’s Mark Sanchez, Fresno State’s Sylvester Seay, Hawai‘i’s Roderick Flemings, Louisiana Tech’s Kyle Gibson and Utah State’s Jared Quayle. All five are new to the all-WAC team this season.

Nevada forward Luke Babbitt became the second-straight Wolf Pack player to earn the WAC’s Freshman of the Year award. In 16 conference games, Babbitt averaged 17.3 points per contest and 7.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 46.6 percent from the field.

UtahState head coach Stew Morrill earned his first Don Haskins Coach of the Year honor by leading the Aggies to a second-straight regular season WAC title. In his 11th year with UtahState, Morrill led the Aggies to a 14-2 conference record.He also led his Aggies to a second-straight undefeated season at home, where the team holds the nation’s second-best home win streak at 34 games.

Those named to the WAC’s all-defensive team were Boise State’s Ike Okoye and Anthony Thomas, Hawai‘i’s Kareem Nitoto, Louisiana Tech’s Magnum Rolle and Nevada’s Lyndale Burleseon.

The 2009 WAC Tournament will be held March 10-14, at the LawlorEventsCenter in Reno, Nev. The men’s teams will compete March 10, 12-14. ESPNU will carry two men’s quarterfinal games, including the noon and 2:30 p.m. PT games on Thursday, March 12. ESPN2 will show the men’s semifinal game on Friday, March 13 at 9:00 p.m. (PT) and the men’s championship game on Saturday, March 14 at 7:00 p.m. PT. All of the games not televised by ESPN will be available on WAC.tv.